Good evening folks,



Something quite unexpectedly rewarding has happened.


I have had word that Blog has reached as far as Illinois.

I had an e-mail from a John on Monday. Turns out he stumbled across Quest4Aragorn whilst settling a discussion about ducks & their mating habits.

He came across my bit about Paradise Shelducks & thinking it was a proper scientific paper commenced reading. He realised after a very short time that it was the inane ramblings of a limey in NZ but has very politely asked if he can continue reading.

So, welcome aboard John, until anyone can tell me otherwise I think he is our furthest away Blogger ?

He has said he struggles with some of the terminology & specifically asked what ‘ickle’ means.

Very amusing.

There was good news & bad news today.

The good news was I passed muster with Murray yesterday & he asked for my help again.

The bad news was I have done ‘something’ to my back & had to come home early due to being unable to move.

I really don’t know exactly what I did to set it off but it was a very physical morning with lots of gate-vaulting, ewe-wrestling & bending & stretching. I realised at 1100 that my back was hurting & within a couple of minutes felt very sick & light-headed. Sheer stubbornness kept me on my feet. I wasn’t having Murray scraping me up & calling me a whinging Pom.

Numerous painkillers did nothing to relieve the pain though & at 2.30 I gave it up as a bad job & came home. Michelle has turned out her very well-stocked medicine cabinet & I am hoping a good night’s rest will sort me out.

It feels like I have either trapped a nerve or pulled a muscle & after a lay down this afternoon flat on my back I thought the problem had gone away. 20 minutes of struggling to get off the bed convinced me otherwise.

If I am no better in the morning then a visit to the doctor & physio tomorrow looms.

A rare thing now, a word of praise for the Met.

When I went to the office today to ask for pain-killers neither Brent nor Robyn asked why I was asking for them. I would like to think that if a member of staff approached me for painkillers, the least I could do was bother to ask why they needed them. Maybe working for the Met has softened me up but I think it’s just basic management.

When the pain-killers did nothing I went to the office, told them I was going home & asked to fill in the injury book. It was produced, in all it’s glory, a 4” by 4” notebook full of enlightening statements

May 2001Kicked by horse

June 2002 Electrocuted by fence

Aug 2003 Head fell off

Sep 2003 Tractor ran over me, sewed on my own leg.

I took the time to fill my entry in properly just in case I should end up being jobless & reliant on medication for the rest of my working life.

In fact, I didn’t actually take the decision to go home. It was Murray’s threat of saying that if I didn’t go home he would make me take over the dagging of the ewes.

As I left he said ‘Go lie down for the afternoon love’ which I found very touching. He then spoiled it by saying that when we sent all the tough convicts to Oz, Britain was left with a country full of feeble workers like me.

I have been thoroughly spoiled this evening. The kids took over some of the cooking chores with Alice saying ‘You sit down Carol, I’ll peel the carrots’

She proceeded to make tea, fetch a blanket & insist I got comfy on the sofa.

Michelle received similar treatment for her migraine & all was going swimmingly until the tang of burning reached our nostrils & Michelle had to salvage Harriette’s burnt offerings from the oven.

The Tanners continue to be lovely landlords. Yesterday, I got home from foal-watch at 8.30pm. Due to my own oversight I had eaten nothing all day save an apple, banana & orange. Not only was I served a delicious fish dish called ‘trevally’ but it was freshly cooked for me after the family had already eaten theirs.

2 more mares foaled yesterday which made it 5 foals in 24 hours. Clinique was one of the mares to foal. She was the lovely chestnut mare I told you about who fell asleep across my legs whilst enjoying a back rub on my 1st foal-watch.

She was extremely uncomfortable when I left at 8pm so I was very grateful that she waited until 10.30pm when I was snugly in bed.

I will disappear for now as these pain-killers are making me drowsy,

I can’t remember if I told you but the reason there have been no foties is because the Kodak store in Matamata were unable to transfer my pics to disc & my memory card is currently full.

I plan to get then transferred this Saturday in Hamilton so the pics should resume next week.


Some mentions.



Mum – Hope all went well, thinking of you, will tx later.



Di – Great pics thanks but you didn’t say who you were ?

Were you Marilyn ?

Consider yourself forgiven re wb, not a problem. Give the ‘flea-bags’ a big love from me.

Can’t believe Joy has moved – where to ?

Bet L was checking to see if R’s car was there.



Ang – Glad you are settled & having a lovely time. Immensely impressed with the 21lbs

are you working hard to rectify it ? Any romance yet ?



Lolly – Are you back yet ? Was it as good as you remembered ?



Stu – Don’t know if you got my message but I did get the mail it’s just it had been

filed under February for some reason ? Glad to hear your game has suffered.

Lovely to hear B.Roo is being walked by Colin’s kids as well as next door.

The girl I worked with for 2 weeks was very like Grace, a really sweet kid.

Say hi to all at no. 2 & tell them I expect to hear from them soon !



Bill – Thx for yours, will reply soonest honest. Thanks for sharing the story about poo. Lovely.

It’s not really sick when you think they have to be in the post by mid Nov.

Pleeeease forward my e-mail to Fred to me, don’t know why you keep forgetting

it’s not as if you snakes do ‘owt J



Q – Is Hawaiki permanently disconnected these days ? I miss the team news & your entries

about the shifts .Have you heard any more from Ma S ?



Weeny – Are you settled or still living out of boxes ? Glad to hear Murph is kicking butt in the

neighbourhood.



TRE – Job offer noted & being seriously considered. You are right, money’s not everything but I

could afford my own gee on that sort of dosh. Await to hear more.



Cocky – Long time no hear. How’s the menagerie ? Is H enjoying school ? Are they enjoying

him ?



Trudes – Glad to hear you are beating them off with a stick. Quite right too.





John – Welcome.



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